Commissionerate police intensifies probe into fake note racket

Bhubaneswar: Commissionerate police has formed special team for conducting a probe into the fake note racket that was operating from Saliasahi slum in Bhubaneswar.

Police Commissioner Y.B. Khurania today said that an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) rank officer has been entrusted to conduct further investigation into the seizure of all fake currency related cases in Bhubaneswar.

“It is a learnt fact that the fake notes are being smuggled and pushed into markets via Malda in West Bengal. We would conduct a detail probe to ascertain whether there was some linkages in this particular case or not,” said Khurania.

Earlier, a fake currency note printing unit at Saliasahi slum was busted and certain materials and equipments were seized from a house during a joint raid by Commissionerate police and Baripada police.

The printing unit was busted on information shared by one Shagen Tudu, who was earlier arrested by Baripada police while trying to use a fake Rs 500 note at a shop in Sunagadia area on March 9.

Police then had seized 32 counterfeit notes of Rs 500 which carried the identical serial numbers.

Meanwhile, Raju Tudu said to be the prime accused in the entire illicit trade is absconding after the incident.

“My brother has been framed as part of a conspiracy. We know that Raju Tudu used to supply him with the fake notes to circulate in the market for money,” said accused Shagen Tudu’s sister.

Baripada police is also trying to collect more evidence into the fake currency racket that is active in Mayurbhanj district. Mostly the gang members are teenagers and are circulating the fake notes in the market by using them at small shops and petrol pumps.

“We are in constant touch with senior officials of Commissionerate police to bust the entire gang involved in the fake currency racket,” said Baripada SDPO Abhimanyu Nayak.